Israel and Iran exchanged fire again Tuesday, a fifth day of strikes in their most intense confrontation in history, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
The adversaries have for years waged a shadow war through proxies and covert operations, with Israel fighting Iranian-backed groups such as Hamas since October 2023.
Here are the latest developments:
- Latest exchanges -
Israel's military said it launched "extensive" strikes targeting missile and drone sites in western Iran on Tuesday.
Explosions and smoke were reported in Iran's western city of Tabriz, home to a major air force base.
AFP journalists reported loud booms over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where police said shrapnel fell and caused damage but no casualties. The fire service said it was rushing to put out a blaze in the commercial hub.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,200 in Iran, the health ministry said Sunday. It has yet to issue an update.
At least 24 people have been killed and 592 wounded in Iran's attacks on Israel, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Israel says it has also killed many top military commanders and nuclear scientists and destroyed one third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers.
"We have now achieved full air superiority over Tehran," said spokesman Effie Defrin.
- Israel lays out objectives -
Netanyahu said Israel was "changing the face of the Middle East" with its military campaign against Iran, which could lead to "radical changes" in the country.
Israel was "pursuing three main objectives: the elimination of the nuclear programme, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism", he said, referring to Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East.
"We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals, and we are well coordinated with the United States," he said.
He also did not rule out killing Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- Evacuation and expansion -
US President Donald Trump urged residents of Tehran to leave, posting on his social media that: "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" without giving further details.
China called on its citizens to leave Israel "as soon as possible", while India urged its citizens to leave the Iranian capital. Thailand said it would prepare planes to evacuate its nationals from both Israel and Iran.
Israel earlier issued an evacuation order for Tehran's northern District 3, home to state broadcaster IRIB -- which was later hit in an Israeli strike. AFP journalists in Tehran heard massive blasts across the city.
Iran called the strike a "war crime". It has also issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels in response.
The broadcaster on Tuesday said three people were killed in the attack.
Residential areas in both countries have also suffered deadly strikes.
Iran said its targets in Israel included "sensitive and important" security sites as well as "the residences of military commanders and scientists".
On Tuesday a military official said Iran destroyed "stragetic positions" in Tel Aviv and Haifa with drones overnight.
- Diplomacy -
The conflict has rapidly escalated despite calls from world leaders to halt the attacks.
China urged Iran and Israel to "immediately" take steps to reduce tensions and "prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call on Monday that Ankara was ready to play a "facilitating role" to end the conflict.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he believed "there's a consensus for de-escalation" among Group of Seven leaders, who are meeting in Canada.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for both sides to "end" strikes on civilians and warned that aiming to overthrow Tehran's clerical state would be a "strategic error".
Trump told reporters at the G7 summit that "Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk... before it's too late".
But after the US leader issued his warning for Tehran residents to evacuate, Trump said he cut short his stay at the G7 summit work on something "much bigger" than a ceasefire.
Nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington had been set to take place on Sunday but were called off after Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran.
In a concluding statement, the G7 called for "de-escalation" in the Middle East starting with the Israel-Iran conflict.
- Nuclear sites -
Netanyahu has said the Israeli offensive aims to thwart the "existential" threats posed by Iran's nuclear and missile programmes.
The fierce bombing campaign came after warnings from the UN nuclear watchdog over Iran's atomic activities.
Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Monday there was "no indication of a physical attack" on an underground section of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility, and that radiation levels outside the plant were "at normal levels".
The IAEA previously said that a key, above-ground component of Iran's Natanz nuclear site was destroyed.
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